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anchor: this is bbc world news america. millions of americans had to the polls to vote on super to decide who they want on the presidential ballot in november. an israeli war cabinet member wraps up his trip to the u.s. as the white house stresses the importance of getting more aid into gaza. ukraine claims it downed a russian set -- ship in the black sea. top commanders are wanted for arrest. hello and welcome to world news america. it is super tuesday in the u.s., the date when millions of people will vote for the person they want to be their party's nominee for president. it is called super because in the race for the democratic and republican nominations, no one

day sees more votes at stake. this year, 15 states plus american samoa holding elections. it is usually and make a break date and gives a clearer picture of who the final two candidates might be. in 2024, 2 people are already solidly leading the pack, democratic president joe biden and former republican president donald trump are likely to win the nominations easily. voters tell posters that tackling inflation, perhaps the defining issue of joe biden's presidency, remains the number one priority. separating at the parties, self-declared democrats sure that concerned, but immigration is not number one for them. contrast that with republicans, for whom immigration is more important than almost anything else. border security is an issue that donald trump is focusing on heavily.

the two largest states on the southern border are voting tonight, texas and california. in california, border crossings up 60% last month even as numbers of migrants entering the u.s. dropped. we have this report from the border rossen near san diego. -- border crossing near san diego. >> welcome! reporter: it is just before dawn in san isidro -- ysidro. another day at the southern border. a group of migrants has gathered on the strip of land between mexico and the u.s. >> god bless america. reporter: adriana with an ngo is delivering rain gear and food, a vital lifeline for those who need it. olga says she left behind a hard

life in ecuador and a difficult journey. she tells us there were good and bad people along the way. every day, the border opens for these migrants from africa, asia and south america, fleeing violence or economic hardship. this crossing south of san diego has become a new focal point in the surge of migrants crossing into the u.s.. the first step in a new journey for these migrants, they boarded buses to a processing center. the number of people crossing south of san diego is up 73% on last year, a number that is overwhelming everyone. >> i would say our county is overwhelmed and impacted. reporter: this san diego county board supervisor says the county had a solution, short-term facilities that provided basic necessities, but funding ran out. she wrote a letter to president biden asking for help.

>> that's what i want to make sure the biden administration in congress understands, we can get past the politics in really talk about the crisis for what it is, people fleeing persecution who have a legal right to come to the united states and should be treated with dignity and respect. >> did you get an answer from the white house? >> not yet. reporter: president biden travel to the border in texas last week, so did former president trump, who blamed biden for the immigration crisis. >> now the united states is being overrun by the biden migrant crime, a new form of vicious violation to our country. reporter: biden called on congress to pass bipartisan legislation. >> is time for the speakers and some of my republican friends in congress blocking this bill to show a little spine. >> the president has the capability to secure the border. he doesn't need a bill from congress to do that. reporter: jim justman is also a

san diego county supervisor. he went with his team to see where migrants are being dropped off in the city. and he is calling on the white house to take action now. >> we need to force our current laws by securing the border. reporter: the challenges facing san diego are laid bare here, bus after bus arriving at the transit center, around 600 migrants a day dropped off after processing and left on their own. the vast majority are traveling on words to cities across the u.s.. migrants from all over the world continue to arrive and this is just one of hundreds of border crossings. it is aid agencies taking action where they say lawmakers have not good >> -- have not. >> this is the most powerful country in the history of humanity.

to not provide a little dignity and humanity to these people is irresponsible, inhumane and undignified. reporter: solutions won't come here at the border. they have to come from washington. but both sides seem miles apart. anchor: we have seen immigration as a big factor of concern for voters. how was it going to play in the selection? reporter: i think we are already seeing it play a big role in the election. we saw the images in the report of the current president and former president at the border in texas last week. it became clear that immigration is going to be one of the most if not the most consequential issues in the election season. we are seeing patterns of immigration change. that's why we went to the southern border in california to see how the border communities are impacted and how some of the cities like san diego and here

in los angeles are impacted as well. something important to keep in mind is polling shows that immigration is really top of mind for many voters. there was a poll released last week by monmouth university that showed that eight out of 10 americans see illegal immigration as either a very serious or serious problem. if you look at the polls comparing donald trump and joe biden, most people who are surveyed do trust donald trump on the question of immigration. this will be an issue for the biden administration and its campaign going forward. that's why we are expecting to see an executive order from president biden to crackdown on illegal immigration, to tackle the crisis. but again, people here say they need solutions now and more resources. anchor: thank you. joining us now is democratic congressman from texas, one of the states will in primaries today. thank you for joining us. immigration is a big issue for voters this year but not the only issue.

do you think it's the one that will make voters ultimately decide their candidates? >> i'm not sure of that. there are a lot of pressing issues. our global standing in the world , our economy, women's rights, human rights. not defending friends and allies we've had around the world, assuring they can count on us to be a beacon of hope around the world. i think it's something many countries around the world are hoping and expecting, continuity without. that's were donald trump fails us and feels the world. that's a huge concern for many americans. certainly immigration and border security are on the top of everyone's list. anchor: national polls are telling the can't -- showing the two candidates more or lesnar connect, is that a true showing? >> a lot of information will come out but folks will have to

ask themselves do they want the instability we had prior to these four years, when you had a president leading a country during a pandemic and telling them not to wear masks, not to vaccinate, not to take precautions and not being there for our allies around the world. there are so many other things besides immigration that americans are looking at. i think they have to ask themselves, do we want to go back to the era where we divided the american people, where we turned our backs on friends we'd had for decades around the world, back to the era where women lost many rights, minorities were abused, families separated at the border? where we showed the world we are not the america we have been for a very long time. i think those are questions americans are asking today. the fact is, our economy is

doing really well, the dollar is strong, the stock market is doing well good we are leading the world in pre-pandemic economies. anchor: you mentioned economic performance. why has joe biden not been able to better sell his performance as president particularly in the area of the economy? only one third of americans think he's doing a good job. >> i agree, i think he needs to brag more about his successes. he brought over $2 trillion in infrastructure funding to the united states our infrastructure was crumbling under donald trump, whether was ports of entry's, highways, bridges. when you travel around the world coming from europe or asia, you felt we were in decline in have fallen behind. he has brought that american pride back to the country. the american economy is doing really well. what he does need to take credit for it and let the american people know these changes came

under his administration, that the $2 trillion of vital american info structure was done because of him. he put shots in people's arms, have businesses open, opened schools safely and continue to care for the american people. at the end of the day that will win the election. anchor: it's not just presidential primaries voted on today, there are 115 congressional districts as well, including your own, although you don't have a challenger. it will be difficult for democrats to hold the senate and to flip the house. what is the greatest challenge for your party? >> i think the greatest challenge is continuing to communicate the successes as we were saying today. we passed amazing legislation under president biden that has been transformative and impactful and americans are now seeing tangible results. but we really need to pull people's colors and say you are living better today because of this or that investment that came under the administration of joe biden.

president joe biden brought stability back to the white house and at the end of the day, i think next november, people will have to choose between president biden and the past four years they saw with trump. you might have liked some of his apologies -- his policies, you may have liked a slice of some of the things he had to, but when you see the overall picture of what america was turning into under his administration and the way the world was viewing us under his command, i think the choice is clear. anchor: we will wait to see how the american people decide on that one. thank you so much for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you. anchor: president biden is warning israel there are no excuses for not allowing more aid into gaza. this comes as the u.s. secretary of state met with the is -- met

with an israeli war cabinet member at the white house today, the chairman of the work party and longtime opponent to benjamin netanyahu, who oppose the visit. he is also in washington discussed the release of hostages held by hamas and establish a humanitarian pause and the conflict. secretary boykin called on israel to maximize every means of getting it into gaza and urged hamas to agree to immediate cease-fire. >> it is urgent irrespective of cease-fire to dramatically increase the assistance getting to people in gaza. the situation for children, for women, for men caught in the crossfire in gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable. israel has to every possible means, every possible method of getting assistance to people who need it. anchor: israel did not send a

delegation to cairo for this round of cease-fire talks but egyptian mediators continue their work to secure a deal. overnight, there were more airstrikes in the south of the gaza strip, including in the southern city of rafah. a are joined by our state department correspondent and president of the middle east policy institute. thank you for being with us. the qatari prime minister and joe biden saying the deal is days away, is there in any indication it is? >> joe biden has said we will known a couple of days if there's a breakthrough. it felt last week like we were approaching an agreement, but i have to say the last couple of days things have looked more shaky which is a concern. it seems pretty clear talks in cairo involving hamas, the u.s.

are there separately pushing the deal but this will go to a fourth day tomorrow. one of the sticking points seems to be hamas are saying they want a withdrawal of israeli troops from key cities and gaza and also more of a guarantee basically that people will be able to return to their homes in the north. as far as americans are concerned, i think they're saying the israelis have gone as far as they will go, that this is effectively the deal on the table and therefore hamas to accept. remember the key deadline of ramadan, set to start the 10th and 11th of next week. that's on everyone's minds. hamas will very much want to try to get something by that point for palestinians in gaza. as far as israelis are concerned, they will see this as a security issue and potential for things to ignite in jerusalem as they've done in the past. that is hovering over all of this and probably the next couple of days we will know. anchor: what is your view, as

tom mentioned, the deadline is looming? >> it's important to meet that deadline and you've heard the president say it, that it's his expectation. ramadan is generally at time of reconciliation, of charitable giving, introspection for muslims. having cease-fires in war is a tradition. release of prisoners and other gestures in that way. it's a time of home, so the pressure on -- of calm, so the pressure on hamas is significant. anchor: are there any other options open other than air drops? >> conditions on the ground, we heard from the old health organization today that their observers have been north of gaza and seen 10 children die of starvation. it's a sign of how desperate things are. that's why the americans are

saying, we heard from antony blinken, that the situation is unsustainable. remember this is israel's key ally that arms it and has continued to arm it while the siege of gaza has gone on. you are now seeing the administration sing the israelis must do more, must allow more in. i've been asking the administration about this the past couple of days, the big problem is securing the convoys. securing distribution so appalling events, like last week, more than 100 palestinians killed. a big break would be a maritime delivery of aid, ships getting to gaza, could be another golf ally of the u.s. delivering. there's not a deep-sea port in gaza and just ask are difficult and security on the beach is difficult. anchor: if there is a change in language and approach we heard from the biden administration, isn't there?

compare that to a couple of days after the october 7 attacks and we saw biden embracing the german netanyahu -- benjamin netanyahu. >> certainly. the vice president's tone and words were strong. if you think about the bearhug after october 7, it is a stark example of how those initial warnings the president gave israel about not making the same mistakes, having an attack against hamas without an alternative to hamas, of thinking about the day after, what do you do once the military conflict is over? it's clear there isn't an option of a way forward from the israeli perspective. that absolutely loses support. 30,000 people are dead, and incredible number. anchor: there's no sign the israelis are paying attention to this change in tone from the americans.

>> there's no sign from the prime minister that he is paying attention, and yet the visit of minister ganz will be bringing attention. there's a great deal of discomfiture from the prime minister about this meeting and you can be sure the discussions in the meeting would have been about what else can be done? you need to understand and take back to israel that this is a changing point in this relationship and our support for the way this war is being conducted. tough messages being given. anchor: where does the u.s. move from this awkward phase? >> i think this is a moment. i think the ganz visit is a moment, and it has struck me more and more how significant it is they are doing this, that he is being treated like a prime minister of israel. it's a clear sign to benjamin netanyahu, if you didn't need it

already, that the senior levels of this administration are sick and tired of messages not getting through. mr. biden was asked as he was boarding the plane today twice by a reporter, how was your relationship with mr. netanyahu and he answered twice, like it has always been. you can read that in two ways but it's hardly a ringing endorsement. anchor: arbery at the business end of things, -- are we at the business end of things in the u.s.? >> it's never just up to the u.s., there are things other nations could be doing. if you look at those who are participating in the abraham accords. there has been a threat they will step back from a diplomatic relationship. it's a partnership. we've seen in negotiations, we've had hamas with the qatari's and egyptians and etc.. it's not just the united states,

not to understate the role we play. we've been there main supplier. the american people are increasingly making known their discomfort with that. there has to be a change in how this is being prosecuted. anchor: all hopes rest on a deal being done the next few days. tom bateman and gina abercrombie , thank you for being with us. ukraine says it has killed at least seven russian sailors by sinking a military patrol ship in the black sea. on tuesday they released video of what they described was footage of the attack. there's no independent verification of the claim in moscow has yet to comment. it comes as the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for top russian commanders over alleged war crimes in ukraine. the court said there were reasonable grounds to believe that they were responsible for strikes on ukrainian illogical

if a structure. it's the second warrant related to the war in ukraine for russian officials. moscow has previously denied targeting ukraine's civilian infrastructure. our reporter has more on the days events. reporter: kyiv claims that it took place in territorial waters of ukraine. it's military intelligence agency has provided a video that appears to show the lumen of attack. in the video we can see a ship that looks like a certain ship trying to fire back and destroy approaching drones. then there is a big explosion. judging by its size, it looks like the ship was destroyed or severely damaged. according to the ukrainian military intelligence agency, several crewmembers were killed and six were injured.

there is still no official reaction from russia on the attack. moscow's silence probably means one thing, that the ship was destroyed. interestingly, this ship had already been targeted twice by ukrainian drones in the past. it looks like the third attempt has been successful. ukraine has been hunting down russian ships in the black sea were quite a while. only last month they managed to destroy a landing ship. because of such frequent attacks, moscow was forced to move its ships away from crimea to another port. even there, though ships are vulnerable to drone attacks. separately, the international criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for two senior russian commanders, one the commander of long-range aviation and the other an admiral in the navy. they are accused of committing war crimes and crimes against

humanity for directing airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in ukraine. anchor: let's turn to other important news from around the world. undersea communication cables were reportedly cut, affecting data traffic between asia and europe. u.s. officials are investigating whether they were cut deliberately or snagged by an anchor. houthis blamed the u.s. and u.k. for the damage could the u.s. launched a new satellite that can track methane. the new satellite will allow methane licks to be tracked almost in real time in a bid to reduce emissions. that's it for the moment. i am caitríona perry. think you for watching world news america. announcer: funding for presentation of this program

is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight. voters in more than a dozen states cast ballots in super tuesday primary spirit what the results could mean for november's presidential match-up. amna: the families of israelis taken captive by hamas on october 7th offer different perspectives on a potential hostage deal. geoff: what's behind the shocking increase in alcohol-related deaths in the united states and what can be done to counter it. >>